Box Score WORCESTER, Mass. (November 19, 2024) – The Western New England men's basketball team drilled 14 three-point shots on 34 made field goals, led by graduate student Brian Geitner, who dropped five three-pointers overall to help the Golden Bears sink the Lancers of Worcester State University for the first time in program history, coming away with an 87-59 win.

Records:

• Western New England: 1-2
• Worcester State University: 2-2

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears collected the first seven points of the game in a two-minute and 30-second span to quickly get ahead. Jake Harrison started the game with all seven points, including a triple on an assist from Brian Geitner that gave Western New England the early lead. Worcester State responded to the Golden Bears' early lead, getting right back in the game with the next six points as WSU's Jaylen Kirkland picked up four of Worcester's six points early. The Lancers tied the game at 11 when Ayme Daguilh hit from three. The Lancers erased Western New England's early lead and took their first lead when Kirkland scored again, this time at the rim, picking up a layup to give Worcester State a 13-11 lead. Tim Restall picked up his first two points of the game after scoring a career-high 37 points in his last outing against No. 10 Keene State. The two points evened the score at 13. Worcester State hit back-to-back threes, giving them a 19-15 lead after Luka Vlajkovic hit a jumper from inside the key. The Golden Bears evened the score at 21 after Vlajkovic drove to the rim and scored. WNE regained their lead after Brian Geitner hit from three. The Golden Bears increased their lead to seven when Will Laplante III dropped two straight from deep, with both Matt Houde and Geitner picking up assists on the triples. WNE went on a 12-0 run, capped off by the first two points of the night from Cody Palazzesi, giving WNE their first double-digit lead of the night, 36-25. The final three buckets of the first half came from outside the arc for the Golden Bears, as Geitner, Restall, and Arik Dagan hit three-point shots to give Western New England a 45-31 lead after one half of play. The Golden Bears were sizzling hot from distance in the first half, hitting 7 of their 15 attempts while shooting 57% from the field overall in the opening 20 minutes. The Golden Bears made 19 field goals in the first half, collecting assists on 12 of those 19 field goals. Luka Vlajkovic, Jake Harrison, and Will Laplante III were a combined perfect 11/11 from the field in the first half, contributing 25 of WNE's 45 points overall. Vlajkovic led the Golden Bears with ten first-half points.

A couple of free throws to open the second half from Tim Restall and Jake Harrison grew WNE's lead to its largest of the game, 16, as the Golden Bears took a 47-31 lead. Restall began to take over the game, scoring a quick five points to bring his total to 12 after the graduate student drove to the rim on a feed from Vlajkovic, increasing Western New England's lead to 20 points overall. Brian Geitner hit his second three-pointer of the game with 14:32 to play in the second half to stop a small Worcester State run. The two teams scored on six straight possessions following that, with Nate Kasper driving to the basket for two points, while Geitner hit another three-pointer, giving the Golden Bears a 19-point lead. Geitner continued to launch and connect from distance, hitting his third three of the half and fifth overall in the game, bringing Western New England's lead back up to 20, 65-45, with 12:51 still to play. Worcester State got two straight triples of their own from Brandon Goris, cutting WNE's lead down to 16, 67-51. However, the Golden Bears quickly responded when Nate Kasper joined the three-point barrage, and Geitner stayed hot, pushing the Golden Bears' lead to 72-51 with 9:33 remaining. The Golden Bears continued to extend their lead, eventually building a 30-point advantage after Vlajkovic scored four quick points, while Matt Houde and Arik Dagan hit from deep. Western New England kept up their dominant three-point shooting on the night. With a significant lead, Western New England saw Justin Garretson earn the first bucket of his WNE career with 5:23 to play on an assist from Will Laplante III, maintaining WNE's 30-point lead. Western New England's high-powered three-point shooting propelled them to their second victory of the season and their first program win over Worcester State after previously being 0-3 against the Lancers. WNE came away with an 87-59 victory.

Inside the Lines:

• Four Golden Bears scored in double figures in Tuesday night's win, led by graduate student Brian Geitner, who shot 7/13 from the floor, including 5/10 from deep, and collected 19 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
• Luka Vlajkovic (15 points), Tim Restall (12 points), and Jake Harrison (10 points) all shot efficiently in the win. Vlajkovic was a perfect 6/6 from the floor, adding four rebounds and four assists.
• Nate Kasper recorded a career-high six assists and scored seven points for WNE.
• The Golden Bears shot 53% from the floor as a team and hit 14 three-point shots overall. Worcester State led by no more than four points, while Western New England's largest lead reached 30 points.
• The Golden Bears out rebounded Worcester State 40-35, with the WNE bench contributing 27 points compared to Worcester State's six.
• WNE was previously 0-3 against Worcester State in their last three matchups over the past three seasons. This marks their first victory in program history over the Lancers.
• The Golden Bears turned the ball over just eight times in the game, while WSU struggled with 19 turnovers/.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE men's basketball returns home for their annual Hampton Inn Holiday Classic on Friday, November 22, and Saturday, November 23, hosting Penn State Altoona, Ramapo College, and Colby College in the tournament.